22
comments:

Cynthia
said...

Hi Bunny, I haven't watched your video yet because I'm at work, but I saw your text and just had to write.

Don't do it, Bunny! Just say NO to the conventional medical establishment. If you've dropped your cholesterol 40 points in the past SIX WEEKS (which would put it below 200), there is absolutely no reason to go on cholesterol medication and start hurting your liver.

I could go on and on and ON about this, but I'll stop here and suggest that you shouldn't make ANY decisions regarding your blood chemistry until your 100 days are up. Wait and see if your cholesterol continues to move downward NATURALLY, along with your weight. It has to.

I can TOTALLY sympathize with your struggles over not losing any poundage in 10 days - however, I think you are correct in your assessment that the antibiotics could be having an effect on you (along with your anxiety over the tick bite, the dentist appt., etc - plus didn't the dentist give you drugs in order to fix your tooth?)

PLUS you traveled to Asheville and ate out. Yes you were stunningly virtuous, but I find that I can will, at BEST, not lose weight if I eat out, even at vegan/raw restaurants.

So - to post NO GAIN given everything you've been through in this ten-day period is accomplishment in itself.

IMHO, doctors always want to put you on medicine even when one is making a grassroots effort to do things naturally. Only you can choose, but if I were in your position, I'd stick it out a little while longer, perhaps til the end of the 100 days, and then make a choice about it. You're doing awesome!!!

Dear Bonnie! Don't feel bad sister. It's all just a part of this crazy ride of life and things will get better. I'm also in a similar boat. I'm a 33 year old male, but found out I had high blood pressure last month and was sent from urgent care to the ER in a freakin' ambulance because they thought I was gonna have a heart attack my blood pressure was so high. Anyway, I didn't. I'm only 140lbs and 5'9" and do yoga regularly - what the hell?!! I did tend to yo-yo back and forth between extremely healthy raw foods and fast food, worry a lot, and stress out so I really have no one to blame but myself.

So, the docs put me on a presciption medication (Benicar). But I've been 100% raw since may 12th. I'm still taking my meds, but as my body continues to heal from the inside, I feel I will decrease the pills and then be able to stop taking it. That was just my personal preference, go with what your heart tells you. I know there are some that might say "just go raw and everything will be okay!" But I felt I was detoxing so much that I still got scared whether or not my blood pressure was too high and was also dizzy. In the end, it was just less-stressful to take the medication instead of worrying if I was gonna do damage from the high blood pressure. I don't know, it might be safer to not take cholesterol meds while on a raw food diet rather than the blood pressure meds? just that I think blood pressure seems scarier to me, as it can cause organs to stop functioning. So hang in there. You're an inspiration to us all and you've been helping me put things in perspective with all your good energy and honesty. I've been trying to go raw for 6 years, since 2002!, and only now with this recent diagnoses do I feel it's a blessing because these challenging times have been just the catalyst for making me know I HAVE to change now and eat raw/liviing foods for the betterment of myself. I feel so appreciative for the doctors telling me I have high blood pressure because now I have a reason to eat healthy. Go easy on yourself and continue to reach for the thoughts that feel good and bring you to well-being and the world is gonna be your oyster!

Don't give up! You have made so much progress, and your health is obviously improving. Your HDL will probably go up with exercise, as well. (My cholesterol is over 200, but I think my HDL and LDL numbers are the reverse of yours -- probably due to some combination of heredity and regular exercise.)

Regarding the meds, you can always fill the prescription and wait to start taking it, or just hold on to the prescription for a bit if you feel conflicted. I do that sometimes if I don't agree with my doc.

I know it’s easier said than done but: Stay positive! There is a balance in life with some good days and some bad days. Learning you have to go on cholesterol medication isn’t a good day but, when you take your pill every morning, look at it as a daily reminder to appreciate all that you have.

We have very similar stories. I went partially raw (raw until dinner) back in November. For almost a month I felt terrific, and then I got bit by a tick, went on antibiotics, and turned into a mess. It was some time before I regained my footing and started to see progress again. But I knew it was (my bad reaction to) the medication that was making me feel terrible and that I was doing all the right things. In other words, I tried to stay positive.

I also went on medication for hypertension five years ago (just as I turned 30). Since going raw, I reduced my medication to almost nothing. I actually look at my diagnosis as the best thing that happened to me, medically. Since then, I started exercising on a daily basis, trying to stay stress-free, and looking for alternative/more beneficial eating habits, which is how I eventually made my way to raw. I’m now 50 pounds lighter than I was five years ago, and within the normal range for my height.

I’m also married to a man who can eat nothing but Snickers bars all day and somehow manage to lose weight. So I feel your pain.

Back to your bad week. Here’s one of my favorite sayings: When life kicks you, make sure it kicks you forward! Next week WILL be better.

Kristyn

P.S. When my weight loss hit a plateau, I changed my exercise routine to something really easy, but really effective from a personal trainer named Rocco. It’s a 5-minute circuit you do just three times (for a total of 15 minutes): one minute of jumping jacks, one minute of mountain climbers, one minutes of push-ups, one minute of criss-cross crunches, and one minute of lunges. Exercise helps boost your mood and your good cholesterol. Give this circuit a shot. I do it to music or sometimes while I watch TV. I promise, although it’s hard to begin with, you’ll see results in two weeks and that’s motivation to keep on going.

P.P.S. Also, check out Natalia Rose’s The Raw Food Detox Diet. I think her theories on food combining will substantially increase your weight loss. Her theory is that food digests at different rates and, when “miscombined,” all the food will take as long to digest as the most complex food you’ve eaten—and the longer food takes to digest, the slower your metabolism, and the more waste (and waste = weight).

If you want more information on food combining, let me know. Like Rocco’s routine, it’s really easy, and really effective.

If your results were anymore dramatic they'd be in a Shakespearian play with a cast of drag queens!Remember that your blood was drawn days before you received the results. I am imaging that it was probably when you were still in the 40's so it is more than likely that you've been dropping a point a day! That is fricken amazing!

I agree with the other commenters who are suggesting you hold off on meds and wait to see what your numbers look like after 100 days. Your body is only beginning to heal from the ravages of gluten and SAD. It takes a while for our amazing bodies to come back to balance after we have stopped exposing them to the stuff they can't tolerate.

Also getting good fats in your diet like hemp oil, olive oil, flax oil & coconut oil is also good to help the good cholesterol. Keep up the amazing work! You are a Miracle.

Even though your scale is not showing any indication of weight loss, that does NOT mean that your body is not busy making lots of healthy changes, including breaking apart those toxin-filled fat cells so they can flush out of your system one day. Stick with it.

Believe me that one day when you get on the scale it's going to amaze you how much weight you lost since your last weigh in, after such a long period of nothing much seeming to happen. Stuff is happening. It is. Scales lie, or rather, they don't tell the whole truth.

Besides which, there is a good likelihood you are retaining water right now because of the antibiotics, and also if you are anywhere near your mens. Many things factor into our weight other than "fat". So just because the scale isn't changing doesn't mean you are "flat-lining". As someone else mentioned, if it isn't going UP you are doing well.

Don't give up! I think you should wait on the medication until after your 100 days are up. I don't think it could hurt to wait another 48 days. I also think you should check out the Natalia Rose "Raw Detox Diet" book. She talks a lot about food combination eating. I read it and it makes alot of since.

How about exercise maybe you and Basil and the baby can go for a walk after dinner to help get some exercise in or the park. Anything that can get you moving but in a fun way not to think of it as exercise.

I think you are doing awesome and just hang in your body will thank you for it.

Hi Bunny,You are doing soooo great! Really, really great. I totally know how hard it can be. Hooray for the news about the tick bite! And also - hooray that your cholesterol has dropped so much! That's actually phenomenal, and it's only been 52 days. I think it would be totally reasonable to hold off on the medication until your 100 days is over and have it checked again - don't you think? (Just my opinion, I'm not Western Medical....) It's on it's way down - your body is shifting into balance and health! I know 52 days seems long, but it's under 2 months.Hang in there, you'll feel terrific again very soon.Love,Melissa

Second: I want to KICK that doctor!! I'm not a violent person, but that doctor has me pissed off right now. WTF?!!?!?!!! You are DOING GREAT!!! You don't need man-made medicine to correct your health, Beth. That doctor is a flipping moron who never learned about nutrition. Man, I can't believe how unhappy I am with him right now for saying that to you.

I had a doctor like that--she insisted I couldn't cure myself with diet. Drugs were the only true cure in her mind. Well, I did it with diet, and so can you! My cholesterol and triglycerides were the same as yours, but within one month they changed--all because I consumed one young Thai coconut every day for a month.

Can you see if you can get young coconuts by the case and eat one a day? If so, maybe you can call the doctor and tell him you want to see how much your diet can change things, before you'll consider taking the drug. Waiting another 48 days to start the drug isn't going to be life threatening. If you can do the young coconuts for the next 48 days (and stay raw, of course), I promise you that you'll see DRAMATIC results in your blood work!

I wish you lived nearby so that I could come over and give you a hug and talk with you about all of this. That doctor just wants to feel in control. He wants you to think that he's the one who helped you get well, but all he's doing is masking the problems (and in doing so, setting your body off balance in other ways). You have all the medicine you need in the fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, sunshine, air, and water. I hope you don't take that medicine. Seriously, will waiting to take it until your 100th day be so bad?

You are doing so great and he took the happy Bunny energy away from you. YOU ARE A STRONG, BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY, WONDERFUL WOMAN. I bet if you sit and think about it, you'll know on a very deep level that contiuing with the raw is going to heal you. You probably know that taking the medicine will cause imbalances in your body, too. You have all the answers within yourself and all the medicine you need in the natural foods you can consume.

Anyway, I'm sorry for going on and on. I really wish I was there with you right now. *HUGS* If you decide to take the medicine, Beth, I am still there at your side with you. I support you in whatever you do. This is your healing journey and if taking the medicine feels right for you then you should probably take it. I'm talking from my own experience and beliefs, so please don't feel that I will judge you in a negative way if you do something different from what I would do.

I love you!! I hope you wake up feeling so much happier tomorrow.

Lots and lots of love to you, always!

WendiXOXOXO

www.purejeevan.com/blog

p.s. My weight loss was slow and gradual, as well. But, now I'm 90 pound lighter and my bloodwork shows how healthy the raw foods have been for me.

You are making great progress without meds. In fact, you are probably doing better WITHOUT the meds. Remember, whether or not you take meds is up to you, NOT a doctor! If it were me, I would have told the doc "thanks, but no".

Hi Bunny - I feel your pain with regards to the weight loss. Although I lost 40lbs after switching from a vegetarian to raw vegan diet last year, I still get frustrated when I stay the same weight for long periods of time (I have another 20 lbs to go). I just eat too much and drink too much wine! I have my really bad days, too, when I step on the scale and want to scream. If you haven't started exercising, I bet that will kick your weight loss into gear and help with the cholesterol. And you definitely feel better. Hang in there!

Bunny, Most of us(including MD's) are trained to be attached to numbers, whether it is our weight or our cholesterol. Your cholesterol number is not as important as whether or not you have plaque build up in your arteries. A somnogram can be done of your carotids, abdominal, and femoral arteries to check for this. If there is no build up, then the risk of putting off mediction and continuing with diet is less. Same for the scale---how do you feel??? We all fluctuate!! Ps. I started my Juice Feast with inspiration from you...day 4. Thank you. Julie

Bunny Doodles :) You need a green smoothie with happy goji berries and smiling cacao to get you past this little hump today (that little hump being advice given by your doctor that can be used immediately or used in the future IF your body does not continue to heal, which I am betting that it will continue...you just wait and see ;)) Look at the good side, he supports what you are doing, that is great, but he just is giving you advice. As long as you are not in danger, you can take it or leave it right? Look back at your great weekend! Great anniversary, great food, great camera, and a great trip coming up Friday! Remember, this is not a diet, instead it is your choice to change how you feed your body, and it is working :) It is, it is, it is...weight loss can come slow, then fast, plateau, then fly off again. That is on raw diets, high protein diets, low protein diets, SAD diets, etc. However, the raw diet is faster and healthier :) It will continue, wait and see :) Your body is healing, and you said so yourself that the antibiotics were making you feel so sleepy, which probably was affecting how your body was losing or holding on to water or foods. So, chin up dear, you are doing fabulous darling, just faaabbbbuuuuullllooouuuuusssss! God bless you :) Stacy

Dearest Bunny,I would also hold off on the meds. I don't believe in conventional medical thought AT ALL, so that's just where I'm coming from. You have to check in with your own self wisdom to know what is best to do. But I just wanted to throw some love and support your way whatever you decide. You are doing FABULOUS and I think taking the meds would just make your body work harder to detox the darn things, because that's all it's gonna do when you are raw.XO - Be happy and eat your RAW veggies!Pixy Lisa

DON'T GIVE UP! just say no to drugs (haha) until your 100 days is up and you can make a more informed decision. Of course your doc wants you to start meds... it's his job to tell you that!

Also, another possible option: acupuncture. Acu helped bring my cholesterol down 20 points in three weeks. I have naturally high cholesterol and even though I'm not fully raw I don't eat dairy/wheat/refined grains/sugars. I was always around 225, then last week I was tested at 199! Huge win for me, when even a healthy diet wasn't helping completely!

Also, on patience, I feel like I should mention that isn't part of this challenge the journey itself? The process of relearning and changing your life? If *poof* you just lost the weight, would you really appreciate it without the work involved? I know that's kind of a silly question, but I always think of the kids who have everything handed to them by their parents and then appreciate none of it. Not all kids, of course, but I've know many who fall into that category.

Also, I wanted to say that I don't have weight to lose, but I have many health problems. It's taken me over two years to get to where I am, and while the past four years have SUCKED MAJOR DONKEY BALLS health-wise, I've grown *so* much. My health is returning slowly, and it's been a process, but I'm a totally different person because of the journey. I could have taken some medications and fixed my health right away while damaging other parts of my body, but I thought that diet changes would work instead. They have worked, but they are slower going. And totally worth it.

So, take heart by dear Bunny. You're not the only one fighting demons and a lifetime of unhealthy eating. And PLEASE don't use the word 'loser,' because that makes all of us who are inspired by you losers as well for being dazzled by your courage and drive for something better!

I am so proud of your medical test results. They are stunning!!! I really hope you consider waiting til after your 100 days and get re-tested. Seriously!! Your results show a drop WAY more significant that prescription drug trials have found!!!!

Have you thought about consulting a good naturopathic physician? Well trained? Well educated? I don't understand the MD's logic. No sense at all. I'd say: This is the beginning of you realizing ((you are)) the boss of your health care. Find a good ND. Trust your gut. Do what you know is right for you.